The run up to the Wisconsin recall election pushed our May numbers skyward to over a quarter billion dollars (!!) by the end of the month. Sure, we would’ve preferred a rather different outcome, but there’s a lesson in Wisconsin that’s more than gloom and doom: small donors have the power to create a national political event.
From the protests through both rounds of elections, this has been a story driven by small donors, including those who sent millions to Wisconsin Democrats using ActBlue. The top five entities for May all come in with average donations under $40. That kind of engagement forced the GOP to commit astronomical sums of money to a race that wouldn’t have existed otherwise.
In short: grassroots donations sustained a state-level political struggle that lasted more than a year, and elevated it to national prominence. That’s a win, even if the returns didn’t go our way.
| Number of contributions | 208,071 |
|---|---|
| Total raised | $9,049,579.70 |
| Average Contribution size | $43.49 |
| Committees receiving money | 1,794 |
Here’s what May 2012 looks like compared to May 2011 and 2008 (last presidential election year). Percentage change is year over year:
| May 2008 | May 2011 | May 2012 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contributions | 18,290 | 45,034 | 208,071 | 362% |
| Volume ($) | $3,095,177.15 | $2,627,655.58 | $9,049,579.70 | 245% |
| Mean Donation | $169.23 | $58.35 | $43.49 | -25% |
| Committees | 878 | 721 | 1,794 | 149% |
Here are the five top committees, by number of donors, for May 2012.
| Name | Race | Donors | Dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Barrett | WI-Gov | 43,137 | $1,509,842 |
| DCCC | Party Committee | 41,138 | $963,184 |
| Democratic Party of WI | Party Committee | 24,158 | $657,544 |
| DFA Recall Campaign | Organization | 12,887 | $309,818 |
| PCCC | Organization | 12,395 | $121,737 |
